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  Maison de Victor Hugo

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  Musée des Arts Décoratifs

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Plan your visit to see Eugène Grasset →

• What is Eugène Grasset known for?+

  Eugène Grasset is known for his poster art and graphic design. He designed the poster for Jeanne d’Arc starring Sarah Bernhardt, as well as the logo of the female sower used on the Larousse dictionary.
• What is Eugène Grasset's most famous work?+

  Eugène Grasset was a designer and artist working in France during the Art Nouveau period. While he worked in many media, including theatre sets, furniture, and even jewellery, he is perhaps best known for his posters and graphic designs. Grasset's poster for the Fêtes de Paris in 1885 marked the start of his career as a poster artist. In 1890, he designed a poster for Jeanne d’Arc starring Sarah Bernhardt. Also in 1890, he designed the logo of the female sower, La Semeuse, for the Larousse dictionary. This logo appeared on most Larousse publications from 1890 to 1952, and then reappeared in the 1960s. In 1892, he designed the poster for Encres Marquet (Marquet Inks), which is considered a classic example of his feminine ideal. In 1894, Grasset designed advertisements for The Century Magazine, introducing Art Nouveau to the United States. He also taught design at the École Guérin between 1890 and 1903.
• What should I know about Eugène Grasset's prints?+

  Eugène Grasset (1845-1917) was a Swiss-French artist who worked in various media. He is best known for his contributions to the Art Nouveau movement, particularly in graphic design. Grasset's print work includes posters, book illustrations, and decorative panels. He often employed flat planes of colour, sinuous lines, and stylised natural forms, all common features of Art Nouveau. His designs frequently featured female figures, flowers, and other organic motifs. One of Grasset's most recognised works is his poster for the 1892 Salon des Cent exhibition. This design demonstrates his use of flowing lines and muted colours. He also created numerous illustrations for books, such as "Histoire des Quatre Fils Aymon", displaying his skill as a narrative artist. Grasset's prints were widely disseminated through mass production techniques, making his art accessible to a broad audience. He also wrote and taught about design, further spreading his artistic ideas. Although he experimented with other styles later in his career, his Art Nouveau prints remain his most celebrated and influential works.
• What style or movement did Eugène Grasset belong to?+

  Eugène Grasset is associated with the Art Nouveau style, which was known as Jugendstil in Germany and Modern in Russia. This decorative style flourished at the end of the 19th century. Grasset's work also has connections to Symbolism, a literary and intellectual movement of the Post-Impressionism era. Symbolism is considered anti-realist and anti-impressionist, favouring strangeness, mystery, and otherworldly sensations. Symbolist teachers of the fine arts include Francisco Goya, William Blake, and Johann Heinrich Füssli. German Romanticism and the English Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood were direct predecessors. Grasset's posters, marked by Symbolist, Pre-Raphaelite, and Japanese influences, exemplify the spirit of Art Nouveau. His union of woman, art, and nature influenced Alphonse Mucha. In 1894, he introduced Art Nouveau to the United States through advertisements for *The Century Magazine*. He designed his own typeface for the Peignot foundry in 1898 and taught typeface history and design at the École Estienne from 1905.
• What techniques or materials did Eugène Grasset use?+

  Eugène Grasset was a Franco-Swiss artist who worked across several media. He is known for graphic design, printmaking, and stained glass. His early work included the design of posters and book illustrations using bold outlines and flat colours, influenced by Japanese prints. These techniques are apparent in works such as his poster for the Chocolat Frey company (1892). Grasset also designed typefaces; his typeface Grasset was created for the Paris publisher Peignot. Later, Grasset explored stained glass. He moved away from commercial work toward religious commissions. These included windows for the Collegiate Church of Romont, Switzerland. His approach to stained glass involved layering colours and textures to create depth, rather than relying solely on lead lines to define forms. He also taught courses on decorative arts, emphasising the importance of understanding materials and techniques.
• What was Eugène Grasset known for?+

  Eugène Grasset (1845-1917) was a Swiss-French artist active in several media. He designed furniture, ceramics, jewellery, and theatre sets early in his career. He is best known for his poster and typeface designs, which place him among the leading figures of Art Nouveau. His work also had symbolist, Pre-Raphaelite, and Japanese influences. Grasset's poster work began in 1885 with Fêtes de Paris. In 1890, he designed a poster starring Sarah Bernhardt as Jeanne d’Arc, as well as the 'semeuse' (female sower) logo for Larousse dictionaries. The Larousse logo appeared on most of their publications from 1890 to 1952 and reappeared in the 1960s. His 1892 poster for Encres Marquet is considered a quintessential Art Nouveau image. In 1894, Grasset designed advertisements for The Century Magazine, introducing Art Nouveau to the United States. He designed his own typeface for the Peignot foundry and a poster for the Salon des Cent in 1898. Grasset taught decorative design at the Ecole Guérin (1890-1903) and typeface history and design at the Ecole Estienne from 1905. He published La Plante et ses applications ornementales in 1896 and Méthode de composition ornementale in 1906. He also contributed to the magazines Art et Décoration and l’Estampe et l’Affiche.
• When did Eugène Grasset live and work?+

  Eugène Grasset was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1845. He was the son of Samuel Joseph Grasset, a sculptor and artist. Eugène studied drawing with François Louis David Bocion. In 1861, he entered Zurich’s Polytechnicum to study architecture. After completing his studies, he travelled to Egypt in 1866; this trip later inspired his art. In 1869 and 1870, Grasset worked in his hometown as a painter, sculptor, and theatre set designer. By 1871 he had moved to Paris, where he became interested in Japanese art. He worked for ceramics factories and jewellers, gaining a good reputation. In 1880, he designed a dining room and furniture for Charles Gillot. From 1890 to 1903, Grasset taught decorative design at the École Guérin; Augusto Giacometti and Paul Berthon were among his students. Grasset died in Sceaux in 1917.
• Where can I see Eugène Grasset's work?+

  Eugène Grasset's work can be viewed in museums internationally. In the United States, these include the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In Canada, his work is held at the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto). In the United Kingdom, Grasset's art can be seen at the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery, and the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh). In continental Europe, see the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris), the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Nancy), the Musée de l’Ecole de Nancy, and the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie (Roubaix). Other museums include the Brangwyn Museum (Brugge, Belgium), the Clockarium Museum in Brussels, the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Lisbon), the Museu d’Art Modern (Barcelona), and the Museo Art Nouveau y Art Deco (Salamanca, Spain). In Germany and Austria, visit the Bauhaus Archive Design Museum (Berlin), the Bröhan-Museum (Berlin), the Kunstgewerbe Museum of Decorative Arts (Berlin), the MAK Austrian Museum of Applied Art/Contemporary Art (Vienna), the Museum beim Markt (Karlsruhe), and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (Hamburg).
• Where was Eugène Grasset from?+

  Eugène Grasset was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1845. His father was a cabinet maker and sculptor, which likely influenced Grasset's later artistic endeavours. He initially studied architecture at the École Polytechnique Fédérale in Zurich. However, his interests soon shifted towards drawing and design. He travelled to Egypt in 1869. After this trip, he began working as a painter and sculptor in Lausanne. In 1871, Grasset moved to Paris, where he secured work designing textiles, posters, and stained glass. He became a successful and influential figure in the Art Nouveau movement. His designs often featured flowing lines, stylised natural forms, and muted colours. Grasset taught graphic design at the École Guérin, and later at the École Estienne. His students included many artists who became important figures in the Art Nouveau style. Although he spent most of his career in France, his Swiss origins shaped his early artistic development and contributed to his international perspective. He died in 1917 in Sceaux, near Paris.
• Who did Eugène Grasset influence?+

  Eugène Grasset's work influenced several artists, particularly Alphonse Mucha. Grasset's posters, combining woman, art, and nature, had a considerable impact on Mucha's work. Grasset was an influential figure in Art Nouveau; he encouraged the integration of minor and major arts. He taught decorative design at the École Guérin from 1890 to 1903; his students included Augusto Giacometti and Paul Berthon. Besides his influence as a teacher, Grasset introduced Art Nouveau to the United States through advertisements for *The Century Magazine* in 1894. His designs, marked by Symbolist, Pre-Raphaelite, and Japanese influences, contributed significantly to the Art Nouveau movement. After Jules Chéret, other artists who continued the illustrated poster tradition in France were Eugène Grasset, Alfonse Mucha, Théophile Steinlen, Adolphe Willette, Jules-Alexandre Grün, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Hugo d’Alesis and Pal.
• Who influenced Eugène Grasset?+

  Eugène Grasset's artistic development was shaped by a range of influences. His father, Samuel Joseph Grasset, was an artist, sculptor, and decorator. Grasset also studied drawing with François Louis David Bocion. In 1861, he entered Zurich’s Polytechnicum, where he studied architecture. A trip to Egypt in 1866 provided further inspiration for his later work. Later, Grasset became enamoured of Japanese art, particularly through the photographs of Charles Gillot. He designed a dining room and furniture for Gillot in 1880. The furniture, made of oak and walnut, featured sculpted animals and figures from popular art. Grasset's posters show symbolist, Pre-Raphaelite, and Japanese influences. His work, uniting woman, art, and nature, influenced Alphonse Mucha. He also drew inspiration from English sources, including William Morris's designs and the compositions of Edward Burne-Jones. These diverse elements contributed to Grasset's distinctive style within the Art Nouveau movement.
• Who was Eugène Grasset?+

  Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1845, Eugène Grasset was the son of artist, sculptor, and decorator Samuel Joseph Grasset. He studied drawing with François Louis David Bocion. In 1861, he attended architecture classes at Zurich’s Polytechnicum. After completing his studies, Grasset travelled to Egypt in 1866; this trip inspired later works. In 1869 and 1870, he worked in his hometown as a theatre set designer, painter, and sculptor. The next year he moved to Paris, where he became enamoured of Japanese art. In France, Grasset worked for ceramics factories and jewellers, gaining a good reputation. In 1880, he designed a dining room and furniture for Charles Gillot; the oak and walnut furniture was sculpted with imaginary animals and figures from popular art. He spent three years illustrating the medieval tale *Les Quatre Fils Aymon* (The Four Sons of Duke Aymon); his use of interpenetrating text and image altered book illustration aesthetics. Grasset contributed to the decoration of the cabaret Le Chat Noir and, in 1885, designed his first poster for the Fêtes de Paris, which began his poster artist career. In 1890, he designed the poster for *Jeanne d’Arc*, starring Sarah Bernhardt, and the *semeuse* logo used on Larousse dictionaries. From 1890 to 1903, Grasset taught decorative design at the École Guérin; Augusto Giacometti and Paul Berthon were among his students. He died in Sceaux in 1917.